13062019 - Politicians, religious leaders fueling insecurity — BUHARI

46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019
African champions Nigeria did
what they needed to do by
throwing all they had into the
game to defeat Korea Republic 2-0
yesterday and earn their first three
points of the 8th FIFA Women’s World
Cup.
In the event, the Super Falcons set
the stage for a fierce encounter with
host nation France on Monday next
FIFA WOMEN
WORLD CUP:
Nnadozie
sets world
record
C
hiamaka Nnadozie has
become the youngest ever
goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a
Women’s World Cup game aged 18
years and 186 days following her clean
sheet against the South Koreans.
Nigeria will seal progression to the
knockout stages of the tournament for
the first time in their last five attempts
if they can get a favourable result in
their next group game against France.
week, as they look to reach the knockout
rounds for the first time in 20 years.
Having lost 0-3 to Norway in their
first match and realizing they could be
heading back home after the group
phase, the Falcons opted for a spritely
approach against the Koreans. But
captain Desire Oparanozie wasted a
great opportunity in the 8th minute
when presented with a simple header
By John Egbokhan
nyimba are back in the groove
Eof things after being crowned
champions of the Nigerian
Professional Football League 2018-
2019 yesterday at a packed Agege
Stadium in Lagos.
The People's Elephants have
done it again, thumping Akwa
United 3-0 in their final Super Six
match to win their eight league
titles and overtake oriental rivals,
Rangers International of Enugu,
with seven titles, as the club with
the most league trophies in the
country.
Enyimba ran riot with goals
against their foes from Uyo, netting
three to finish top of the NPFL playoff
table and clinch a ticket to next
season's CAF Champions League,
which they have won twice in 2003
and 2004.
But they were made to sweat for
their sweet victory, waiting till the
43rd minute before Reuben Bala
found the back of the net, beating
a hapless Akwa United goalkeeper
Emmanuel Iwu.
Stanley Dimgba doubled
Enyimba's lead on the hour mark,
sending club chairman, Felix
Anyansi-Agwu and jubilant fans
into endless celebrations as they
sensed they were closer to their
eight league title, which would
make them the indisputable king
of Nigerian football.
Ighalo dismisses goal scoring fears
S
uper Eagles forward Odion
Ighalo has asserted that the senior
national team strikers are not suffering
from goal drought ahead of the 2019
Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, after
they were held to a goalless draw by
less fancied Zimbabwe in a friendly
game in Asaba.
‘Everyone can give their opinion on
the team but what I know is that this
team will surprise everyone at the
Afcon because we have the quality to
go all the way,” Ighalo said.
“For us as a team, we will keep
working hard and ensure we give our
best at all time especially at the Afcon
where all eyes will be on us. I don’t
think we have any problem with our
strikers and they are not suffering from
any dip in form.
“We have been working hard as a
team to bring smiles back to the faces
of Nigerians and hopefully when we
NPFL Playoff: Kano Pillars
fined, Rabiu Ali banned
from a pull-out from Ngozi Ebere. She
nodded straight at the Korean
goalkeeper.
Perhaps the most inspired decision
for the game by Nigeria’s coach
Thomas Dennerby was starting former
junior international Chiamaka
Nnadozie in goal and sending
Tochukwu Oluehi, so jittery against
Norway, to the bench. The 18 year –old
goaltender simply continued from
where she left off at the 2018 FIFA U20
Women’s World Cup also hosted by
France, where she drew some rave
reviews.
She cuddled and punched with good
judgment, used her long limbs
marvelously and stood between the
Asians and any goal in the game. Her
competence and confidence enabled
the Falcons to push forward in search
of goals.
After Korean defender Kim Do Yong
misdirected a forward thrust by
midfielder Rita Chikwelu past her
goalkeeper for Nigeria’s first goal in
the 29th minute, the Falcons’ spirit
soared and they bossed the game for
large periods.
Nigeria could have made it two four
minutes after the restart, but
Oparanozie’s header from a floated free
kick by left back Ngozi Ebere went
narrowly over the woodworks.
At the back, Nigeria kept things tight
against the faster Koreans, with
Onome Ebi, appearing at her fifth
World Cup, Osinachi Ohale, Ebere and
Chidinma Okeke throwing everything
in there.
Rita Chikwelu, Ngozi Okobi and
Chinaza Uchendu worked hard in the
middle. But it was the intelligent right
back Okeke, another performer from
the 2018 FIFA Women’s World Cup,
who got her touches right to send Asisat
Oshoala to nick the second goal for
Nigeria with 15 minutes left.
Enyimba are Nigerian League champions
•win Super Six after thrashing Akwa Utd 3 - 0
get to the tournament proper we will
start scoring goals that we haven’t
scored in recent matches. We are
confident that Eagles will shine in
Egypt but we have the utmost respect
for our opponents.”
And on the 89th minute,
Abdulrahman Bashiru scored the
third goal for the People's
Elephants, a thunderbolt of a
strike that sent fans bursting into
U
NITED STATES' players were
blasted for over-celebrating their
record-breaking 13-0 win over
Thailand in the Women's World Cup.
The victory - in which Alex Morgan
scored FIVE - was unsurprisingly the
biggest victory in World Cup history,
men's or women's.
But as the goals kept flooding
into Thailand's net, the US did not
relent in their celebrations, either.
And while few could criticise the
number of goals scored, many felt
they unnecessarily rubbed it in.
With the contest already over,
Morgan led a team celebration
including the substitutes, dancing
on the touchline.
Chukwueze among top 50 U20 players
in the world
V
illarreal winger Samuel
Chukwueze has been named
among the top fifty U20 players in the
world for the 2018-2019 season by
celebrated French sports daily
L'Equipe.
The Nigeria international has been
ranked 25th out of the 50 talented
players considered.
He ranked higher than Chelsea's
Mason Mount (30th), Benfica's
•Club fined N8m, to play three
home matches behind closed
doors
•Hit with suspended three
Points deduction
•Ali banned for 12 matches
equel to the crowd disturbances
Sand harassment of match Referees
in one of the fixtures of MatchDay4 of
the Nigeria Professional Football
League(NPFL) Championship Playoff,
Kano Pillars FC have been fined Eight
million Naira (N8m) and its captain,
Rabiu Ali banned from all NPFL
activities and matches for a period of
12 matches.
Supporters sympathetic to the Kano
football side invaded the pitch,
damaged perimeter fences and
advertising panels while hauling
objects at the VIP stands at the end of
the fixture between Kano Pillars and
Rangers International which ended 1-
1.
The League Management Company
(LMC) in a summary jurisdiction notice
charged Kano Pillars with a four count
breaches of the Framework and Rules
of the NPFL including breaches of Rule
B13.18, C9, C1.1.
Rabiu Ali was charged for accosting
the Referee and in so doing incited
others to commit acts of violence and
misconduct in breach of Rule C1.3
The notice to Ali read, “consequently,
and taking into consideration your role
as the captain of the team, by which
your conduct is deemed to be an
aggravated breach with a view to
imposing more severe sanctions
pursuant to Rule C19, the LMC intends
to exercise its summary jurisdiction and
to impose on you the following
sanction: a ban from all NPFL matches
and activities for a period of twelve (12)
matches, commencing immediately”.
Photo by: Akeem Salau
another round of ecstatic
celebrations, a fitting finale to a
classy goal to mark a sweet
hunting season for the Aba
Landlords in Lagos.
Women’s World Cup
USA blasted for over-celebrating 13-0
rout of Thailand
Gedson Fernandes (31st), Manchester
United's Diogo Dalot (34th) and Real
Madrid's Brahim Diaz (38th).
National Team coach Gernot Rohr
was contacted to discuss the key
attributes of the winger whom he
handed a debut to in November 2018.
against Uganda.
''He can become a very good player.
He has a very good left foot, he is fast,
he has a low center of gravity that gives
him balance, he can score and pass,''
said Rohr to the newspaper.
And Megan Rapinoe decided
to sprint around the pitch then
do a dramatic slide after making
it 9-0.
Perhaps unsurprisingly,
Canadian pair Clare Rustad and
Kaylyn Kyle were two of the
highest-profile pundits to lay into
the US.
Rustad told TSN: “I just think
they could have won with some
humility and grace, and they just
couldn’t manage to do that.
“Celebrating goals later in the
game like this is just completely
unnecessary. What is this?”
And Kyle fumed: "They’re the
No. 1 team in the world and for
me, I’m disgusted, honestly."
Plenty watching on also piled
in on Twitter.
In the charged against Kano Pillars,
the breaches covered offenses such as
the hauling of objects towards the field
of play by some of their supporters in
violation of Rule B13.18. Kano Pillars
were also charged for failing to control
and ensure proper conduct of its players
and officials who accosted the match
Referee in protest which constituted a
breach of Rule C9.
The third charge read, “you are in
breach of Rule B13.18 of the Framework
and Rules of the Nigeria Professional
Football League, in that on Monday,
10th June 2019, immediately after your
NPFL Championship Playoff Match:
Kano Pillars vs. Rangers International,
some of your supporters encroached
onto the field of play, pursuing after
match officials”.
The fourth count was hinged on the
violent conduct of the Supporters in a
manner capable of bringing the league
to disrepute and including injury to
spectators and damage to facilities and
equipment in violation of Rule C1.1
which is punishable by virtue of B15.17
and B13.23 of the Framework and Rules
of the NPFL.
FIFA Women WC:
We must avoid
France defeat,
says Super Falcon
coach
fter pulling an upset win
Aagainst South Korea, Super
Falcons coach Thomas Dennerby said
the team must now believe they have
a chance of moving to the round of 16
by avoiding a defeat to France.
The Super Falcons profited from an
own goal by DY Kim in the 29th
minute of their group A game
yesterday and Asisat Oshoala killed
off South Koreans' fight back with a
75th goal after rounding MJ Kim and
slotting in the ball from a tight angle.
Chiamaka Nnadozie who was in goal
denied the Koreans several times to
give the Super Falcons their first ever
clean-sheet of the FIFA Women World
Cup.
“Our discipline was better than
against Norway – no mistakes at all.
The players followed our match plan.
“Now we go to play France, a really
good team. If we can come out with a
point everyone would be extremely
happy. But you can’t just go to defend
– you need to know what to do when
you win the ball back. And hopefully
we can have a little bit of success.”
Oshola admitted that the team was
scared in the early stages of the game
but came out in the second half as the
South Koreans could make good use
of their superior possession.
“At first, I think we were a little bit
scared of losing and going out. But
after a while we just decided to go for
it.
“The group is wide open now. We
just have to concentrate now on
making sure we get the points we
need against France.”
The Super Falcons will face the
hosts on June 16.